Sérëdhiel
by PearlTenshiSerenity
Summary: This story has only just begun, and while I know where I want to take it I've got a lot of other stories to write too. But this is on the top of my list of stories to work on so that i can finish all Leggy/Serenity stories by December 13th in which we will all realize that the fanfictions were and i should have been writing Legg/Tauriel stories instead. XD


_**Sérëdhiel**_

_**Dear Arwen,**_

_**I apologize for not even discussing the plan I have set in motion with you, but I am desperate. Sir Tarcon is not the gentleman I had believed he was. I must get out of here! I have sent another letter with a good friend's messenger; it should be intercepted by Father tomorrow. You know what to do. May I see you soon!**_

_**Love,**_

_**Sérëdhiel Silvermoon**_

'_Oh, Sérëdhiel…' I think, sorry for my sister. But it's no real surprise. Sérëdhiel is beautiful, wealthy and all charm. Plenty of men will tell her they love her, and they do-her riches, that is. She's much too naïve._

_I felt guiltily happy though, I had missed my foster-sister and was happy she would be back. What I didn't know was that the letter had just arrived._

The human messenger walked cautiously into the large receiving hall. It was huge. Mardo now understood why the Lady Sérëdhiel would want to come back; the whole place was beautiful and grand.

"Yes?" The Lord of Rivendell asked from his chair.

"Begging your pardon Lord Elrond." He said, awestruck by it all, "A letter for Lady Arwen from Lady Sérëdhiel."

"Oh, yes." Lord Elrond said, immediately losing interest, his daughter and foster-daughter were always writing each other. At Lord Elrond's lack of interest, Mardo felt slightly worried but Lady Sérëdhiel had instructed him what to do in such a situation. "I'll give it to her." Lord Elrond stated holding out his hand but remaining focused on whatever he was reading.

"Well, uh, my instructions were to give it personally to Lady Arwen and no one else, Sir." Mardo said, feeling nervous. This caught Lord Elrond's attention and his gaze fastened onto the gilded letter then looked up at Mardo.

"I'll take that letter." Lord Elrond spoke with command. Mardo nodded and thrust the letter into the Lord's hand, bowed and hurriedly scurried out of the room, scared to death, silently promising to himself to never deliver one of Lady Sérëdhiel's letters again.

Lord Elrond opened the envelope and pulled out the creamy stationary. He frowned steadily as he read it, his gaze hardening.

_Dear Arwen,_

_I am glad to hear that you are doing so well. Do you remember the man I mentioned in my last letter? Sir Tarcon has asked me to the ball coming this next week. I am so excited though I am sorry I will not be there to help you with your Birthday Ball but surely you understand and I will try to make it up to you! _

_If you're wondering why I sent a private letter it is because I doubt our Father would approve if he found out I was going to a ball with a human He's as handsome as any Elf!_

_My feelings are fragile and I need time to figure them out. But I shall be at your Birthday Ball, I promise._

_Love,_

_Sérëdhiel Silvermoon_

Lord Elrond leapt up with an angry frown and strode out of the large double doors. Outside even the refreshing breeze could not cool him.

"Iant!" He called his head general. Iant appeared on his left immediately. He looked confusedly at Lord Elrond's half-angry, half-sad face. He bowed quickly and waited for the Lord to speak.

"Iant, I need you and a half a dozen Elves to fetch Sérëdhiel. Give her only one hour to pack, the rest will be sent for later." Elrond ordered, he handed General Iant the letter. "Don't give her any more time; I want you back in four days time at latest." Iant nodded and disappeared with the letter to get the other elves.

The anger was quickly fading and Lord Elrond was left with only a deep sadness. He wearily walked down the hall to find Arwen. '_Are all my daughters to fall in love with humans?'_ he wondered to himself.

The Fellowship (excluding Frodo who is with Bilbo and Legolas who is in the gardens.) admired the paintings as they walked through the gallery with their guide, Paur.

"And this is the Lady Arwen, with her horse Artemis and her brother Lord Elrohir," Paur said, walking by an elegant picture. Sam noticed a picture on the other side of the room.

"Who's that?" he asked, pointing. Their Elf-Guide quickly crossed the room toward the grand painting, the Fellowship following closely.

"This is the Lady Sérëdhiel Míreth Silvermoon, Lord Elrond's Goddaughter and foster daughter. It was made when she was but a child." Paur said. The fellowship gazed at the picture in wonder.

An Elf-Man with golden hair and dark blue eyes stood proudly, wearing a silver crown and clothes of silver and gold, an Elf-Lady sat on a chair beside him, his arm rested on her shoulders. The Lady had striking silver hair and eyes, her circlet was silver as well and her dress was white, with a light blue bow at the chest. At their feet, a small Elf-Child who looked to be only three or four played with a small golden kitten. A sweet happy smile lit up her blue eyes, and a silver tiara rested on her golden head.

"This is the Moon's Royal Family. Alas! The Moon Kingdom was destroyed many years ago. Sérëdhiel is the sole survivor and the Last Moon Elf." He said sadly but shook it free.

"She is family to Lord Elrond and his daughter and sons. She's been away for some time. But she's coming home soon, done something again." Paur smiled fondly.

"She gets in trouble often?" Pippin asked, already thinking he was going to like this Moon Elf.

"Oh, goodness! She's a well meaning girl for sure, but trouble does seem to follow her." Paur answered laughing, which was rare for elves.

"Well! Here she comes now!" He exclaimed, pointing out the window. A group of nine approached. Two on each side of one in particular who they all assumed was the Lady Sérëdhiel. She wore a white cape, untarnished by roads, which hid her face from sight. As they stopped she said something to the Elf on her left, swung off her pure black horse and strode into the hallway, disappearing from sight. The Elf she'd spoken to shook his head and led the horse away.

"She looks more like a prisoner than a part of the family," Pippin observed.

"I assure you she does not usually come home in this manner." Paur answered "Lord Elrond must have heard of her escapades and ordered her home."

"What's her _newest_ escapade then?" Gimli asked; glad to hear of an Elf that was not perfect and determined to hear more. Paur's face hardened slightly, knowing exactly what Gimli was thinking.

"I believe Lord Elrond heard that she was planning on going to a ball with a human so he immediately called her back. Understandable." Aragorn knew Paur wasn't saying anything against him, but it made him feel ashamed. "I wonder if the armed guards were necessary, but, as you know, evil is afoot." Paur walked out the door and down the hall, The Fellowship following confused.

"There is a more recent portrait here." he says, leading them to the great hall. A painted picture the size of Boromir rested on the left wall. A lady gazed at them, her eyes were dark blue and her hair was flaxen gold. Something sad was in her eyes, and yet her smile held a wonderful warm brightness.

"Her name is Sérëdhiel…" Pippin said, awed.

"She's so pretty!" Merry gasped. A smile twitched on Paur's lips.

"Yes, she's quite beautiful, much like the Lady Arwen."

"Who courts her?" Pippin asked. They were surprised when a laugh came out of Paur's mouth.

"Oh, nobody courts her; she courts them, in all fairness." He said, shaking his head. The Hobbit's looked to Aragorn, Boromir and Gimli for help with this ridiculous notion but they shrugged, bewildered.

"Well, which Elf does she court then, if her Father doesn't approve of Men?" Pippin asked. Paur let out a huge sigh at that, surprising the fellowship again.

"She courts no Elves; she turned out quite like her sister Arwen." Paur said and moved on, apparently not liking the way this conversation was going, Aragorn was glad, because he didn't like it either. But the Hobbits were not to be sidetracked.

"What does that mean?" Pippin asked, not understanding the reference. Aragorn took pity on both Paur and Pippin.

"We will discuss this later in private," Aragorn whispered, clapping Pippin on the back.

"Father! How could you do such a thing? You rudely tore me away, they will think us ill-mannered! And right before the ball…!" The Fellowship heard a female shouting behind a large door. The female was cut off though.

"You did not tell me you planned on staying so long nor that you were going to a party with a human." Elrond said; his voice much quieter. "Now I think you should go speak to Arwen, her birthday is tomorrow."

The Female Elf came out and they saw it was indeed Sérëdhiel. Golden hair streamed behind her in the wind, blue eyes wrathful and lips pursed.

"My Lady." Paur bowed as she swept past them in a magnificent white gown. The rest of the Fellowship hastily bowed. A guard who had been watching them from the other side of the room came forward and handed Paur a small bag that jingled with coins.

"What's that?" Pippin asked, gazing at the bag in fascination.

"Just a friendly wager." Paur said with a smile, tucking the bag inside his pocket.

"That I can understand!" Gimli said with a laugh as Paur led them on.

Sérëdhiel headed out to the Gardens, her favorite sanctuary and the one place everyone knew was her's. Not the whole Garden, just one cranny that she'd planted herself, flowers that reminded her of home and an intricate bench for sitting upon. She was surprised when she got there to see an Elf sitting on her bench, reading a book. A blond Elf, obviously a visitor or he would not have dared to sit on her bench. Or have plucked one of her flowers to smell!

The Elf looked up at her and she did a double take, his eyes were as blue as the sky above her. She looked up and then back at him.

"Can I help you?" He asked politely, closing his book and standing up.

"Umm…" Sérëdhiel said, finally recovering herself. "You're in my spot." Legolas looked at her, like she was odd. "That's my spot." She said again pointing at the engraving on the left armrest. He looked at it and then back at her, not saying anything. Sérëdhiel started fuming inside.

"I think it would be a good idea to give Lady Sérëdhiel her spot, Legolas." Luin said, appearing behind both of them.

"Lady Sérëdhiel Míreth of the Moon?" Legolas asked, surprised.

"Legolas Greenleaf?" She asked, both confused at the identity of the other person.

"Yes." Luin said with a smile. "I'm glad you two finally meet; the most stubborn people I know." He added under his breath though both heard him. Sérëdhiel turned back to Legolas; he was Thranduil's son and one of the few who were to go with Frodo to Mordor.

"I'm sorry." Legolas stepped away from the bench.

"No matter." Sérëdhiel said, and walked quickly away, she didn't like being surrounded by royal Elves that got to go to Mordor without her.

"Well, you ruffled her feathers." Luin observed casually.

"I am sorry." Legolas apologized again.

"Don't be sorry! She needs to be miffed now and then. It's been a while; she usually just blasts whoever is in her way." Luin said, Legolas sweat dropped.

"So, _she_ is the one who causes her dear Father such distress." Legolas said with a smile.

"If you ask me it's both Arwen and Sérëdhiel. And it's not like you don't do the same to your parents." Luin said with a smile. "Still refusing to marry?"

"I have my reasons." Legolas said with a frown. Legolas was pretty much a prodigy, his father and stepmother had tried to get him to marry for some hundred years to no avail.

"And so does Sérëdhiel, I'm sure." Luin said to Legolas before he walked away. "It's a match made in Heaven." He muttered to himself, returning to his post with a smile.

"I say we have the table in the middle of the floor." Sérëdhiel said to Arwen an hour later, both lying on their stomachs on the floor, sheets of paper and differently colored jars of ink surrounding them. Sketching like mad women, trying to pick the perfect style for her birthday.

"But then there will be no room for dancing!" Arwen said ready to cross out the picture Sérëdhiel had just drawn.

"Exactly!" Sérëdhiel said, dipping her pen into the inkwell. "Then we'd have to dance with everyone!"

"But we must have some festivities, not just a dinner!" Arwen returned.

"Well, I have a suggestion." The girls looked up to see their Father watching them from the doorway, smiling at the way their conversation went. "Arwen has always enjoyed singing, so why not move into the other room after the meal and we'll have minstrels playing?"

"I like that idea!" Sérëdhiel said, quickly sketching it out and handing it to her sister. Arwen nodded enthusiastically and handed it to her Father. "It's perfect!"

"Very well, I'll make the arrangements." Elrond said, glad to have that decided after all the racket they'd caused.

"Back to the tables…" Sérëdhiel said. Elrond looked at them in shock and the girls began discussing the arrangement of everything from table arrangements to draperies.

"Papa, would you be a dear and have Elladen go get the purple drapes?" Arwen asked.

"No, no. You're in charge of everything else." Elrond said and hurriedly exited.

"Well!" Sérëdhiel said with a fake gasp of shock. Sérëdhiel laughed and returned to the pictures.

"Sérëdhiel?" Arwen said softly.

"Huh?" she said, not looking up.

"Can I ask you something?" Arwen asked cautiously.

"Of course, birthday girl. You're old enough now, I suppose." Arwen hit the back of Sérëdhiel's head lightly.

"Well, it's about Tarcon." Sérëdhiel looked up at her, a dread starting to creep into her stomach.

"Yes?" Sérëdhiel asked, knowing that something was up

"Why do you do that?" Arwen asked cautiously, she was on thin ice right now. "Why do you love mortal men? Surely not because of I and Aragorn."

"That's a long story that I don't want to get into right now." Sérëdhiel said standing up and looking out the window.

"Then when _will_ we talk about it?" Arwen asked, standing to face her. Sérëdhiel's sharp blue eyes settled briefly on her face and then she turned back to the window. "This has to be resolved, don't you understand, you can't do this!" Arwen was aware of how hypocritical she was sounding but she couldn't seem to stop the words from coming out of her mouth. To her surprise, Sérëdhiel continued staring out the window, not even blinking.

"Whoever said I loved them?" Sérëdhiel whispered, more to the breeze than to Arwen. "Who said?"

"Then you don't?!" Arwen asked, Sérëdhiel suddenly turned on her, tears in her eyes.

"You don't understand, Arwen!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I would if you would talk to me about it!" Arwen replied heatedly, tears starting down her own cheeks. All the sadness she had been feeling of being locked out of her sister's life, ever since those humans had come between them. And the guilt she felt for using Sérëdhiel and being angry when she strayed off the path Arwen desperately wanted her to go down. Sérëdhiel couldn't help it, she burst into sobbing tears.

"Is this quite regular, Luin?" Legolas asked in bewilderment as they accidentally came upon the two weeping She-Elves.

"Oh, it's alright sire, they're just… happy." Luin said uncertainly, Legolas stared at him, slightly amused as they backed out of the room.

"Please tell me, Sérëdhiel!" Arwen begged. Sérëdhiel sighed, defeated, tears still going down her cheeks.

"I'm trying to protect myself." Sérëdhiel hiccupped.

"From what?" Arwen asked.

"It's something Father said." Sérëdhiel admitted, tears starting freshly. "A long time ago, before the mortals, I accidentally overheard Father talking with Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. They were discussing whether other beings should be allowed to go to the West Havens on the ships. They decided against it." Sérëdhiel cried even harder now and Arwen was still confused. Sérëdhiel put her napkin to her face as she opened the door to leave.

"What does that have to do with you?" Arwen asked quickly.

"Don't you see, Arwen?" Sérëdhiel asked. "I will not be allowed to go!" Sérëdhiel ran out of the room leaving a thoroughly enlightened Arwen. Arwen wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Laugh that Sérëdhiel had worried so ridiculously over it and cry because she had had the worry for so long, and had caused herself and everyone else so much pain over it.

"Father! Father, you will never believe it!" Arwen cried, running into her father's study. "Sérëdhiel, dear Sérëdhiel, has been suffering from a delusion all this time!" He turned to her, brows furrowed.

"What do you mean, Arwen?"

"All this time, Seredhiel has thought that she will not be allowed to go into the West with us since she is not an Earth-Elf!" Arwen replied and quickly recounted the conversation. Her face glowed with happiness as she told him, all her previous worries melting off of her. "I wish she had said something before, but it is alright now! Father, are you not pleased?" Lord Elrond had been staring bleakly outside at the large waterfall.

"I am pleased." Lord Elrond sighed. "But I am afraid that- well, that Sérëdhiel got here before you."

"What do you mean?" asked Arwen apprehensively.

"She left with the rest of the Fellowship."

"Why would you let her go?"

"She's been so unhappy."

"And you think going on an adventure where she could possibly die will cheer her up?" Arwen demanded.

6


End file.
